Clip

ABSTRACT

Clip, for pen or any of various articles to be detachably attached to the clothing or the like, which has a stiff support spring-hingedly carrying a gripping arm, with an opening through the support near the head end thereof through which projects a member which, when squeezed down toward the pen body, forces the gripping arm to move out from the pen body and thereby open up the clip.

United States Patent Dyke [451 *May 23, 1972 54] CLIP [56] ReferencesCited [72] Inventor: Herbert Gordon Dyke, 206 East 35th UNITED STATES PTENTS Street, Kent County, Del. 10016 1,263,327 4/1918 Kristofek ..24/l1M l 1 Notlcer The p of the term of thls patent 1,306,774 6/1919 Reid.24/11 P seq uent to Nov. 23, 1988, has been dis- 1,404,863 1/1922Klenck ..24/11 M dalmed- 2,008,624 7/1935 Mix ..24/49 P 22 F'] d: Oct.61969 l 1 Primary Examiner-Donald A. Griffin [21] Appl. No.: 864,110

[57] ABSTRACT Related US. Application Data Clip, for pen or any ofvarious articles to be detachably atcommuatlonm'pal't of 690,944 tachedto the clothing or the like, which has a stiff support 1967'spring-hingedly carrying a gripping arm, with an opening through thesupport near the head end thereof through which [52] US. Cl ..24/1l Pro'ects a member hi h he queezed down toward the P J [51] Int. Cl "1343!25/00 pen b d forces th i pi g arm to move out from the pen [5 8] Fieldof Search ..24/49 P, 3, 1 1, 3 J, l l M, body and thereby open up h li15 Claims, 1 1 Drawing Figures Patented May 23,1972 3,663,994

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR fi/ Evian/V0141 A T TORIIE Y Patented May23,1972 3,663,994

2 Sheets-Sheet 5.

IIVVENTOFE our This application is a continuation-in-part of myco-pending application Ser. No. 690,944, filed Dec. 15, 1967.

The invention is an improved clip to be part of a pen, pencil, comb, tiefastener, or other article to be attached to ones clothing or the like.A pen will for simplicity be referred to herein, as a representativearticle. The invention solves several problems, and most notably ofierstheir solution simultaneously.

The usual clip has to have its grip arm pulled outwardly by hand fromthe pen. If the clip moves out with little resistance it has littleholding power, and one is likely to lose his pen. If the clip is stiffand resistant, either the clip goes onto the pocket with difficulty andwears out the pocket edge, or it is hard to spring out by hand and willsometimes pull the edge of the fingernail from the flesh, and that canbe uncomfortable for some time thereafter.

Other forms of clip directed to these problems have been proposed ortried, but they have various disadvantages that have prevented theirgetting lasting acceptance. Some will not allow the pen to gosubstantially all the way down into the pocket, some stand out undulyfar and will snag on the clothing or interfere with the feel andhandling of the pen when it is in use, or are unduly complicated andtherefore expensive, or their construction is fundamentally not welladapted to being made into attractive, clean, design effects.

This invention in its preferred form is a clip that swings out to openit, when you push in. You can push it in by squeezing the pen near thetop, which is much easier than pulling the bottom of the clip out fromthe pen while inserting the pen into the pocket or withdrawing it. Thedistance of travel of the push member and the force required are bothmoderate. The construction of this invention also has clear space underthe grip arm all the way up to the base, so if you choose to locate thebase at the top end of the pen the pen can go almost entirely down intothe pocket with only the clip visible, if this be desired as itsometimes is. The construction is also free of any protruding partbristling out that might snag and catch on the clothing or feeluncomfortable to the hand when the pen is being used. Andimportantly-theconstruction is such that it is quite capable of being worked intovarious designs some of whichare quite trim and graceful, as is almostan essential today especially in pens made of precious metals thatamount to functional jewelry.

The actuation may take the form of a squeeze arranged across the pensurface as in the parent case or a squeezing of part of the clip and thepen body toward each other as shown in embodiments here illustrated.Where a toggle is used the preferred form in this case is a singletoggle elbowed arm rather than the double arrangement illustrated in theparent case.

The invention in its preferred forms is accomplished by the use of asolidly secured base at or near the top of the pen, from which a griparm extends. This grip arm comprises a stiff cantilever support arm fromwhose lower end a clip swing arm extends, being pivoted at the end ofthe cantilever support arm and being spring-pressed down against the penbody. The cantilever support arm is open, or apertured, near its upperend; that is to say it has stiff side rods there with open space betweenthem. Protruding up through that open space,'but bending back to downwithin that space at the top end, is a push surface--that can be anactual pushbutton-operatively connected with the swing arm portion tolift it out when the pushbutton is pushed in.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a geometrical diagram of the mechanical action of thetoggle-actuated clip.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are two rather similar toggle clips, shown in longitudinalsection, mounted on pens.

FIG. 4 is a similar view of a clip incorporating a pushbutton per se.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a clip similar to those of FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of a toggle bearing two pushbuttonmembers.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a one-piece cantilever form of theinvention,

FIG. 7 being a plan view thereof,

FIG.- 8 a longitudinal section thereof on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7, and

FIG. 9 being a transverse section thereof on the lines 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are respectively a side elevation and a left end view ofa two-piece cantilever form of the invention.

The reference character 10 designates a pen body, which could be a penor a pencil or a comb or a nailfile or a bar member of a tie clip or anyarticle it is desired to clip into or onto ones clothing or the like.For simplicity of expression it will be referred to throughout as a pen,representatively.

A stiff base 12 is stiffly secured to the pen near the head end thereof,that is, the end opposite the writing end during use. From the base agrip arm 14 arises out from the pen then extends down along it. Itcomprises first a stiff support arm 16, extending stiffly from the baseout a short distance from the pen and a greater distance down along thepen with free clearance between it and the pen, and then a pivot 18spaced well out from the pen body, amd then a swing arm 20 springbiaseddown against the pen body. It will be noted that the only motionavailable here is swinging up or down of the swing arm 20 at the pivot18. The pivot 18 may range from a pin joint to distributed flexibility,but is preferably a concentrated flex hinge formed in a continuous armstructure. The clip arm 20 at its free end has a suitable foot 22 whichwill grip the pocket, etc., between it and the pen body. Spring tensionis provided, biasing the swing arm in toward the pen body so it willthus grip the pocket, etc. The flex hinge is formed to be resilient andto have a limited degree of stiffness so it can and preferably doesprovide this spring biasing.

The grip arm 14 has between base and pivot an elongated aperture 24.This leaves stiff side bars 26, 28 extending longitudinally along, anddefining, this opening. The side bars are heavy rods or are re-enforcedwith flanges or the like, to keep the support arm 16 stiffnotwithstanding the aperture 24.

Between the pen body 10 and the grip arm 14, I provide an elbowed togglearm 30. This toggle member is made up of a stiff head length 32, whichmay be curled in section for stiffness, as seen at 33, and a stiff footlength 34 which again is stiffened as by laterally curled constructionseen at 35. Between the stifi' head length and the stiff foot length thetoggle member has a short region 36 that is transversely flat, and whichserves as a flex hinge. The toggle member 30 is inserted between the penbody and the grip arm 14, with its flex hinge region 36 extending outthrough the opening 24. The toggle member is held in place by any ofvarious means. One such means can be the brazing, riveting, or otherwisesecuring of the end of the toggles long arm 34 to the end of grip arm20, near or forming foot 22. It will be noted that the extreme left end37 of the toggle arm is free to rock or pivot.

The grip arm 20 is so formed as to be resiliently biased toward andagainst the pen body.

When it is desired to open up the end of the clip, for example to put itover the pocket edge, you press down on the toggle member in thevicinity of its flex hinge region 36. This will swing out the foot, andopen the clip.

The action by which this is accomplished is perhaps best understood atFIG. 1. Here the pivot point 37 which is fixed in location is indicatedby the same reference character 37. The short head arm 32 of the togglemember is represented by straight line 32. Flex hinge 36 is a pivotpoint that can move along an are centered at fixed pivot 37. The longlower arm 34 of the toggle member is represented by straight line 34.Where that member joins the foot 22 there is constituted a flex hinge23. This is shown in FIG. 1 as a moveable pivot 23, which is free tomove on an arc centered at fixed pivot point 18.

In the rest position of the clip, closed in against the pen body, thereis a certain straight line length from fixed pivot 37 to moveable pivot23. When the pivot elbow 36 is squeezed, that is, pushed down, in towardthe pen body, and the toggle arm is thus more nearly straightened out,the straight line length from pivot 37 to pivot 23 is increased. Sincepivot 37 is fixed, point 23 must move to the right, and it can swing upabout the fixed pivot point 37. The right hand end of the arm 20 cannotmove direct to the right, but has a locus that extends somewhat to theright in that it can swing up about pivot 18. Thus when the toggle elbowpivot 36 is pressed down to position 36a it forces the moveable footpivot 23 up to point 23a, thus opening the clip.

It will be observed that there was an inward squeezing motion as betweenthe top part of the pen and the top part of the clip which caused theclip mouth to open, and when it did open it left the space under theclip completely clear all the way up to approximately at the basemember, which can be mounted near or at the head end of the pen. It willalso be observed that the toggle member is re-entrant at both ends oftheopening 24, and thus does not bristle out to possibly snag the clothing.

The elbow pivot and the portions of the toggle member close to it serveas a pushbutton of sorts. This pushbutton effect can be enhanced bybrazing or otherwise securing a button proper, as shown at 40 in FIG. 4.This can take many forms. One form that more fully obtains theanti-snagging benefit is that shown in FIG. 6. There two button members41, 42 are secured to the toggle member immediately to the two sides ofthe flex hinge 36. Both of these may be used, or either one alone.

These button members may be solid or may be-as shownof thin metalstamped to form crown and skirt walls at end and sides. In FIGS. 7, 8and 9 another embodiment of my invention is illustrated. Here a singlemetal stamping or plastic molding provides stiff base 50, stiff supportarm 51 stiffly arising out from the base and extending a greaterdistance down toward the foot of the pen and providing an elongatedopening 52, preferably by branching into two stiff rod members 53. Theserod members near their termination make flex hinges 54 by beingtransversely flat, preferably longitudinally curved, and thin enough toflex resiliently.

To the far side of these flex hinges the rod members join stiff grip arm55, which has swing arm portion 56 beyond the pivot and push arm portion57 extending stiffly back to the head side of the flex hinge as acentral continuation of it. The entire length of grip arm 55 ispreferably centrally crowned or curled to give it stiffness.

Preferably the push arm portion 57 lies over the opening 52 between thetwo side rod members 52 and on actuation can be pushed down into thatopening.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. and 11 also has a stiff base 60stiffly secured to the pen 10. A stiff support arm 62 rises stiffly fromthat base for a short distance out from the pen and then extendsgenerally parallel to the pen for a greater distance down away from thehead end. As it extends down it provides a longitudinally elongatedopening 62 which in this case is open at its foot end (save for pivotpin 65, spring 69, or the like). Preferably the opening is central andis flanked by two stiff rods 63 which constitute this part of thesupport arm 62. This construction can serve as a smooth shroud about apushbutton member that will be described. Near the end of the rods 63 orother members constituting support arm 62 a pivot 64 is provided, as bypivot pin 65. There a grip arm 66 is pivotally attached. It has headportion 67 serving as a pushbutton and having depending end skirtportion 68 and side skirt portions 69 that extend down just to or justwithin the opening 62.

The dimension a from crown top to skirt bottom of the pushbutton memberapproximately equals dimension b which is the clearance from its skirtbottom to the base below, which may be pen body 10 or the base member 12as illustrated. Dimension c which is the length of the pushbutton orlever arm part is preferably about two to three times the length dof thefoot portion 68 of the grip arm 66, which extends to the foot side ofthe pivot and serves to clamp the pocket cloth. Any desired springtension means may be used to resiliently urge the foot 69 against thepen body.

It will be observed that with this form also an inward squeezing motionas between the top part of the pen and the pushbutton portion of theclip opens the clip mouth and leaves space under the clip clear forbeing put over the pocket edge, andif desiredall the way to the head endof the clip which can be within one or a few millimeters of the head ofthe pen, and because of the shrouded pushbutton construction there is nobristling part to snag, or to give an undesirable feel in use.

I claim:

1. Clip for pen or the like comprising a stiff base adapted to bestiffly secured to the pen near the head end thereof, a stiff supportarm extending stiflly from said base out a short distance from the penand a greater distance down along the pen with free clearance between itand the pen, a swing arm hingedly secured to said support arm andextending down therefrom, spring tension biasing said swing arm intoward and against the pen body, and a push element toward the head endfrom the pivot location operatively connected to the swing arm to movethe swing arm out when the push element is squeezed and thereby pushedin toward the pen body, and in which the support arm has an elongatedopening in it between the base and the pivot in its portion that isextended out a short distance from the pen, and the push elementprojects above that opening in relation such that it is received withinthat opening when squeezed down.

2. Clip of claim 1 in which the support arm has an elongated opening init between the base and the pivot, and the push element projects up andout through and above that opening.

3. Clip of claim 2 in which the push element as it comes back from thepivot region toward the head end of the pen rises above the level of thesupport arm there and as it approaches the head end of said opening dipsdown inside said opening.

4. Clip of claim 3 in which the clearance between the lowermost portionsof said push element from the pen body and the base below is not lessthan nor much greater than the amount by which at rest it rises abovethe level of the apertured support arm whose opening it is receivedwithin.

5. Clip of claim 4 in which the push element extends to the left fromthe pivot by a distance equal to approximately onethird to one-half thelength of the swing arm from its pivot point to its foot.

6. Clip of claim 5 in which the push element includes a dependingstructure constituting at least a skirt extending down from the end andsides of the push element, closing-from above-the opening in the supportarm even at rest position.

7. Clip for pen or the like comprising a stiff base adapted to bestifily secured to the pen near the head end thereof, a stiff supportarm extending stiffly from said base out a short distance from the penand a greater distance down along the pen with free clearance between itand the pen, a swing arm hingedly secured to said support arm andextending down therefrom, spring tension biasing said swing arm intoward and against the pen body, and a push element toward the head endfrom the pivot location operatively connected to the swing arm to movethe swing arm out when the push element is squeezed and thereby pushedin toward the pen body, and in which the push element is a part ofatoggle arm assembly that includes a head length and a foot length at anangle to each other and a flex hinge region joining them.

8. Clip of claim 7 in which the end of the foot length is attached tothe swing arm near its foot end and the end of the head length ispivotally positioned close to the base.

9. Clip of claim 8 in which the head arm and the foot arm are curled forlongitudinal stiffness while between them a short region is fiat acrossfor flexing longitudinally.

l0. Clip of claim 8 in which a pushbutton member is attached to thetoggle arm and projects out above the opening in the support arm.

11. Clip of claim 10 in which the pushbutton member is on the headlength of the toggle arm.

l2. Clip of claim in which the pushbutton member is on the foot lengthof the toggle arm.

13. Clip of claim 10 in which there are two pushbutton members closetogether, effectively forming a single pushbut ton, one on the headlength and one on the foot length of the toggle arm.

14. Clip of claim 1 in which the parts mentioned are all integral andtwo side rods that are part of the support arm hin-

1. Clip for pen or the like comprising a stiff base adapted to bestiffly secured to the pen near the head end thereof, a stiff supportarm extending stiffly from said base out a short distance from the penand a greater distance down along the pen with free clearance between itand the pen, a swing arm hingedly secured to said support arm andextending down therefrom, spring tension biasing said swing arm intoward and against the pen body, and a push element toward the head endfrom the pivot location operatively connected to the swing arm to movethe swing arm out when the push element is squeezed and thereby pushedin toward the pen body, and in which the support arm has an elongatedopening in it between the base and the pivot in its portion that isextended out a short distance from the pen, and the push elementprojects above that opening in relation such that it is received withinthat opening when squeezed down.
 2. Clip of claim 1 in which the supportarm has an elongated opening in it between the base and the pivot, andthe push element projects up and out through and above that opening. 3.Clip of claim 2 in which the push element as it comes back from thepivot region toward the head end of the pen rises above the level of thesupport arm there and as it approaches the head end of said opening dipsdown inside said opening.
 4. Clip of claim 3 in which the clearancebetween the lowermost portions of said push element from the pen bodyand the base below is not less than nor much greater than the amount bywhich at rest it rises above the level of the apertured support armwhose opening it is received within.
 5. Clip of claim 4 in which thepush element extends to the left from the pivot by a distance equal toapproximately one-third to one-half the length of the swing arm from itspivot point to its foot.
 6. Clip of claim 5 in which the push elementincludes a depending structure consTituting at least a skirt extendingdown from the end and sides of the push element, closing-from above-theopening in the support arm even at rest position.
 7. Clip for pen or thelike comprising a stiff base adapted to be stiffly secured to the pennear the head end thereof, a stiff support arm extending stiffly fromsaid base out a short distance from the pen and a greater distance downalong the pen with free clearance between it and the pen, a swing armhingedly secured to said support arm and extending down therefrom,spring tension biasing said swing arm in toward and against the penbody, and a push element toward the head end from the pivot locationoperatively connected to the swing arm to move the swing arm out whenthe push element is squeezed and thereby pushed in toward the pen body,and in which the push element is a part of a toggle arm assembly thatincludes a head length and a foot length at an angle to each other and aflex hinge region joining them.
 8. Clip of claim 7 in which the end ofthe foot length is attached to the swing arm near its foot end and theend of the head length is pivotally positioned close to the base. 9.Clip of claim 8 in which the head arm and the foot arm are curled forlongitudinal stiffness while between them a short region is flat acrossfor flexing longitudinally.
 10. Clip of claim 8 in which a pushbuttonmember is attached to the toggle arm and projects out above the openingin the support arm.
 11. Clip of claim 10 in which the pushbutton memberis on the head length of the toggle arm.
 12. Clip of claim 10 in whichthe pushbutton member is on the foot length of the toggle arm.
 13. Clipof claim 10 in which there are two pushbutton members close together,effectively forming a single pushbutton, one on the head length and oneon the foot length of the toggle arm.
 14. Clip of claim 1 in which theparts mentioned are all integral and two side rods that are part of thesupport arm hingedly secure the swing arm to the rest of the supportarm, these side rods having regions of relatively easy spring flex nearwhere they are attached to the swing arm.
 15. Clip of claim 14 in whichall parts are longitudinally stiffened except at specified regions ofrelatively easy spring flex.